mmmm Curry!

Aaron, Me, Loola and Okk had a little dinner party after work last night at our favorite Indian curry place in Gukje Market.  It was so fun to introduce Aaron to Loola and vice versa.

It's not often that foreigners have a good relationship with their Korean co-teachers... 

But, I like to think God hand picked these two for me! :)

Love them!

Yang Yang Cat Cafe

In a country where people live in tiny studio apartments with no front or backyard for pets to play in, a cat cafe is, as far as I'm concerned, genius!  Meagan found this gem of a cafe last night and texted me right away with pictures of her, surrounded by darling felines!  One picture was all I needed to be convinced that I, too, needed to go play with the kitties!

So, tonight, Meagan, Ashley (who I met tonight and already love) and I met for dinner in Nampodong...

...and then headed to Yang Yang Cat Cafe, which just opened this week (or maybe last)!  Anyway, it's on the 4th floor, between McDonalds and POPCORN...just look for the blue and white sign!  When you open the door, you'll be met by a small shoe room.  Here, you take off your shoes and slip on some comfy slippers, then open the next door and you're IN!

There were about 15-20 Koreans spread out around the cafe, most of which had a cat in their arms or lap!

We ooed and awed for at least 10 minutes before settling in and ordering some tea (7,000 won)! 

It's the only thing on their menu.

Meagan is the epitamy of a Cat Lady!  haha.  She's going to kill me, but it's true!  She loves, loves, loves cats!  I may or may not be right behind her on the cat lady scale! 

This little schmooch was one of my favorites!  It just cuddled up on this blanket and minded it's own business all night, but he/she had the sweetest face and softest fur!

We joked that this one was the AJUMA of the cafe!  Ajuma is the word Koreans use for an older, kind of rough around the edges type of woman!  This cat was the only scary one in the place!

"Cat Ladies!" *

There are 21 cats in total and they're all allowed to roam around and do as they please!  There are currently 3 gorgeous white long haired, blue eyed, kittens who love to play hard and cuddle after!

Meagan and I spent at least 15 minutes with this awesome hairless cat sleeping on our laps!

Ashley and her siamese baby!  It had slept in her lap for about 20 minutes and when we got up to leave, she set it up in her lap and it just sat straight up in her arms!  Classic! 

If you love cuddly cats, live in Busan, and like to drink tea, this is the place to go! :)  I'm planning to take Aaron here soon... hoping to convince him that we need a kitty after we get married!  lol

 

With my luck, he'd only want the hairless kind! 

Thanks for a great night Yang Yang!  See you soon!

No Brian! Don't go!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Living in Korea and watching good friends come and go really sucks!  It's the way it goes though.  Brian has been one of Aaron's best friends since the first day they both arrived in Korea, and Brian was there the first night I met Aaron!  He's been around for 3 years now and tomorrow he's leaving Korea and moving back to America.  It kills us to have to say goodbye to such a passionate, loving, funny, and genuine guy! 

We spent Sunday night together at Sharky's, a foreigner bar in Haeundae, playing dominoes!  It was the game we all played the first night we met, so it seemed fitting!

 

...and then had fried chicken together last night with him and Mubi at a hole in the wall joint on a back alley of Gukje Market as our final goodbye dinner.  

Mubi is one of Brian's good friends!  She's fluent in Korean, Chinese, and English and has a firecracker of a personality!  She was teaching us all kinds of funny things to say to Koreans when they stare at us on the bus or subways! 

Okk actually introduced Aaron and I to this restaurant last year, and we knew Brian would LOVE it as much as we do!  They take a whole chicken and cut it to pieces out in front of the place and then fry is right before your eyes!  Talk about fresh!

We hated to say goodbye to Brian, but there was a silver lining this time!  We said "Goodbye, but not forever" because Brian will be at our wedding in July! :)  

Thank goodness! 

We miss you already B!  Safe travels...

Hanul teacher meeting!

Tonight was our first "teacher meeting" of the year... also known as a staff dinner, where every staff member from the Principal down to the cleaning lady, sit and share a meal together!  We usually go to a sashimi restaurant, but tonight I lucked out, because we ate Hanul, Korean beef!  It's crazy delicious and really expensive!!!  But, it's okay, because the school picks up the tab!  Can't beat that!  All of this meat was shared between 4 people!  It's no wonder I've gained weight since living here!

I sat with Hyun Jung (left), Loola (my new co-teacher (right) and Okk!

... and then Hana and NaRae sat at the table next to us!  

These are 5 of my favorite co-workers of all time in Korea! :)

After everyone finished eating, each of the new teachers got up and introduced themselves!  Between each introduction, the special ed teacher (who plays the roll of an MC at our teaching dinners) gave a quiz with really random questions. All of the teachers were too shy to answer the questions, for fear that if they got the answer wrong everyone would think they were stupid...

I, on the other hand, didn't care!  I asked Okk to translate the first question, and she said "What is the animal who gives the least amount of waste in the world?"  hhhuuuuhhhhh?  She said, "It doesn't make sense in Korean either!  It's just a silly question."  After no one answered, the special ed teacher said he would give us a hint and said "Choon-goo" which means China!  I immediately yelled "PANDA!"  and I was right!   hahaha!  I got the answer right to a Korean question in a room filled with overly educated Koreans!  Talk about a confidence boost. My prize was a toothbrush!  Hana and NaRae answered the questions right after mine and got toothrbushes too! :)

By 7:20pm, we were all stuffed and said goodbye to our table of leftovers!

Loola wanted to take a picture with me, but she made me stand way up in front so our faces looked the same size!  How funny is that?!

Then, after dinner, we walked, in the rain, over to Caffe Bene on Songdo Beach with the group of 6th grade teachers.  Last year. the 6th grade group was 7 women teachers (you've seen lots of pictures of them)... This year it's 5 women and 2 guys, which is totally changing up the mix, but it's been fun to get to know the 3 newbies! :)

I got home around 9:30pm and plopped down on the bed.  I'm feeling blessed, once again, to have had such a fun night with my co-workers!

The wedding date!

Aaron and I just received the long awaited final approval from our Principals for our 

3 week summer/wedding vacation time off!

So, it's official!

I will marry my best friend and one of the best men I know on July 28th in beautiful North Carolina in a small and intimate backyard wedding!

 

Let the planning begin! :)